2011 is expected to be a major year for new mobile processors, including the dual-core Nvidia Tegra2 chip expected to debut. We’ve been discussing the upcoming promise of dual core with Nvidia and expect to get some amazing demo’s at CES, but we got a heads-up about a demonstration currently available. ARMdevices.net recently attended the ARM TechCon Conference and filmed a demo showing the difference of a dual-core.

Two similar processors are placed side-by-side and connected to an Android device. While music is played in the background, each attempts to load a list of websites. The difference between these two processors is that one has had a core disabled while the other is allowed to run both cores unfettered. Which do you think was faster?

NVIDIA touts the upcoming Tegra 2 as a major advancement in mobile computing. The processor will be a staple in the next generation of Android smartphones and tablets, and we look forward to seeing it up-close. This browser demo is just a tip of the iceberg of what we can expect to see next year.

3 Comments

The demonstration was impressive I will agree, but as stated in the video they were running the test on web pages cached locally so that network connections did not skew the results. Out in the real world of mobile devices network speeds vary tremendously depending on a user’s location. So what I am interested in seeing is will we really notice a difference in the web browsing experience as shown? I think the real benefit will be realized in the overall performance of the Android OS.

the speed is lovely and shinny, but what about battery life? the N1 can barely last a day and it only has one core? unless batteries get a lot bigger or the chip is really smart with powering down the phone when it's not doing anything the phone might last 5 hours.

I think the real key to dual processors will be the added benefit of being more power efficient. Unfortunately, battery technology is not progressing at the same rate as other mobile technologies and at some point battery life will become a very significant issue – for some phones this is already an issue. However, to the extent that the processors, screens, OS, etc. can be more efficient, that will help to offset the increased power consumption from the additional capabilities, i.e., 4G, 1080P video streaming, larger screens, etc. which are coming online quickly. Android users are already accustomed to some level of battery management to extend the battery life on their phone. That's part of the experience and part of the responsibility of having cool functionality like Widgets, push-updates, massive screens, etc. . These things are a significant reason users choose Android over the iPhone; however, they can drain the battery quickly. Apple appears to make a lot of decisions based on a desire to improve battery life (no widgets, no/limited multi-tasking until recently, slower processors, etc), and as a result, the iPhone lacks some of the functionality found in Android. On the flip side, iPhone users typically don't worry about actively managing the battery life on their phone because alot of those decisions have already been made for them – which for a lot of people is what they prefer. Right now, Android, on the whole, has a pretty good balance – users have additional functionality and battery management is relatively simple, can be mostly automated, and doesn't require a whole lot of user interaction for those that don't want it. However, if the battery life in these mobile devices continues to erode as phones become more and more powerful, the process of managing the battery will become much more tedious and eventually turn many users off. This is also especially important for developers to realize and to make smart decisions regarding their apps and the resources their apps use (both actively and in the background). It is pretty remarkable to see the speed difference with the dual-core processor, though, so I can't wait to see them in some devices.